


With a Shadow for Company

by OhanaHoku



Series: Whumptober 2020 Prompts [8]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Abandonment, Angst, Angst and Feels, Don't say goodbye, Emotional Hurt, Emotionally Hurt Stiles Stilinski, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt Stiles Stilinski, Insecurity, Isolation, Mental Anguish, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, October Prompt Challenge, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Short One Shot, Tumblr Prompt, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, no.8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26914477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhanaHoku/pseuds/OhanaHoku
Summary: Stiles is left alone, abandoned. But someone... or something has been with him the whole time.Day Eight of Whumptober 2020 - Where Did Everybody Go? - "Don't Say Goodbye," Abandoned, Isolation(Aka, my personal favorite that I've written so far for Whumptober.)
Relationships: Stiles Stilinski & Himself, Stiles Stilinski & The Pack, sort of?
Series: Whumptober 2020 Prompts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949965
Kudos: 30





	With a Shadow for Company

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BuchananGalaxyCarter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuchananGalaxyCarter/gifts).



> I don't like to brag, but I am really proud of this one, guys! I hope you all enjoy it! This fic is gifted to one of my newest readers, BuchananGalaxyCarter. I hope you especially enjoy it! <3
> 
> Triggers in the tags!

Stiles sat in a quiet room, made of four blank white walls. There was no door, not even a seam indicating where one could be. There was only the stark brightness of the single lightbulb hanging in the middle of the room that bounced off the walls so brightly that it made his head ache if he kept his eyes open for too long.

He was alone.

It felt like days until his eyes adjusted to the glare of the room, and still, no one had come to save him from the isolated prison. He didn’t remember how he had gotten there, nor where there was. All he knew was that his friends, his pack, had abandoned him. They had left him, one by one. First, it was Isaac, then Derek. Lydia and Scott. Eventually, even his father had left him.

He didn’t know why they left, couldn’t understand it at all. But his heart ached with the separation, and his mind remembered their harsh words.

_ You’re not a werewolf. _

_ You are not my pack! _

_ I can’t do this anymore. _

_ You can’t depend on me to protect you, Stiles. I won’t be there. _

_ I’ve lost my son. _

They echoed in his mind, playing on repeat until the loneliness in his heart grew into a formidable omnipresence that pervaded the entirety of his world. Nothing could ease the ache, for each good memory he had only reminded him that all of those people in his memories were gone.

Sometimes the loneliness grew so intense it chilled his body, prompting goosebumps to spread over his skin. At these times, Stiles took to pacing back and forth alongside one of the walls, rubbing the warmth back into his skin as he tried to generate some heat.

On one of these occasions, Stiles noticed his shadow playing over the wall. It was walking in tandem with him, always at his side. Something cold in his chest warmed for the first time in what felt like ages, and with a shaky hand, Stiles reached out to place a hand against the wall, shuddering at the warm feeling on his palm where his shadow touched his hand. “Guess I’ve always got you, huh?”   
  
He took to talking with his shadow as he leaned back against the wall. “You know, I used to have friends. Scott and Lydia. The others, too. They were more than family, they were my pack.” Stiles sighed softly, a tear slipping down his face. “But they left me.”

He looked over at his shadow. “You wouldn’t leave me, would you?” He asked, and he could have sworn for a moment that his shadow shook his head. It was a ridiculous thought, but comforting, so Stiles smiled. “Thanks, buddy.”

However, over what Stiles assumed to be the next few days, he noticed that his shadow seemed to move more often when he did not. After one particularly shocking moment when his shadow stretched its arm when Stiles had not, the teen hesitantly reached out to press a hand against the wall again, that same warmth as before meeting his palm. “Are you… Are you actually alive?” He whispered.

It seemed for a moment that he would get no answer, but then his shadow moved, tilting its head just slightly and nodding.

Tears dripped down Stiles’ face. “And you’ve been keeping me company this whole time when I thought I was alone.”

It was more of a statement than a question, but the shadow nodded again.

He gasped, crumpling onto his knees. “Thank you.” He sobbed, head leaning forward to rest against his shadow’s shoulder. “Thank you.

Soon, with the company and warm touch of his shadow, Stiles felt the ache in his chest start to fade, his fingers losing that icy feel as they intertwined with his shadow’s fingers.

But Stiles noticed something one day as he was curled in the corner, his head resting against his shadow’s shoulder again, and a warm touch in his hair. His shadow liked to look off toward the other wall, into the expanse of white that almost seemed to reach into forever. It was weird, but Stiles had gotten used to seeing his own profile upon the wall when his head wasn’t turned.

“What are you looking at?” He whispered, and his shadow immediately snapped its head back to him. It shook its head, and Stiles frowned softly. “You’re… You’re not thinking of leaving, are you?” He asked quietly.

Immediately, the shadow shook its head, reaching to cup his cheek with its warm hand.

Stiles relaxed into the touch, nodding as he smiled softly. “Good.” He murmured, yawning tiredly. That gentle feeling of fingers carding through his hair was back, and Stiles soon drifted off to sleep.

When he woke, his eyes widened, hand reaching out to grab the wrist of his fleeing shadow. “Stop!” He yelled, panicked as the loneliness already started to creep back in. “Don’t say goodbye, please!”

The shadow tugged at his grip, looking back into that white void. But when Stiles sobbed, it paused, looking back at the boy who was now a trembling, weeping mess as he begged it to stay.

A warm hand settled in his hair, and Stiles looked up to see his shadow standing in front of him. He hiccupped, reaching up to grab its arm. “Are you staying? Please, tell me you’re staying.” He pleaded, breath hitching.

His shadow nodded, and Stiles collapsed with relief, letting his shadow hug him close as he fell apart.

But even though the ache faded once more, Stiles couldn’t help but feel guilty whenever he saw his shadow looking out into the distance. Finally, he decided he couldn’t take it anymore and pressed his hand against his shadow’s. “I understand.” He whispered. “I’d get out of here too if I could.”

He closed his eyes and exhaled shakily. “I don’t want you to be stuck here forever if it means you’re unhappy.” He sniffled, looking at his shadow again. “Go. If you think it will make you happy, then I want you to go.”

He looked away as his shadow stood, unable to watch as his last friend abandoned him. But warm hands cupped his cheeks, and Stiles sobbed, closing his eyes as he felt gentle lips kiss his forehead.

When he opened his eyes again, his shadow was gone, lost to the void of white.

With the aching cold wrapping itself around his heart once more, Stiles curled up in the middle of the room, directly under the lightbulb so he wouldn’t be tempted to look at the walls in search of his shadow.

It wouldn’t be there. Not anymore.

Stiles was finally alone. Truly and completely alone. Left to weep in silence.

**Author's Note:**

> Word Count - 1124. So, for anyone who hasn't realized it, no, Stiles is not in an actual room or an insane asylum or anything like that. The room he's in is meant to portray his mental state and mindscape. I have a bit of an idea to add on to this, but we'll see. I'm already swamped with fics, so that'll be a future project if it happens. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks for reading and leaving kudos! <3
> 
> While I'm a bit busy with Whumptober at the moment, I sometimes post fic recommendations on [ my tumblr](https://ohanahoku-ao3.tumblr.com/) between updates, so go check that out!


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